Reader Letters About Appointment Selling, the Upcoming Holidays and More

• I love the idea [of appointment-based selling] and we are actually thinking that our next space might be a showroom and not a traditional retail shop. — Laura K., Oak Park, IL
• Appointments used to only be only necessary if someone needed to come before or after hours, but recently my staff has been scheduling folks who call, and it is working out great! I know when I have to be at the studio, and the clients love the one-on-one I can give them uninterrupted. — Jo G., Oconomowoc, WI
• We are a destination-based jewelry store, meaning we don’t have a traditional storefront. This leads us to make a lot of appointments for first-time shoppers, but we don’t insist on it and welcome walk-in customers, as well! If a customer makes an appointment, we all know they are serious about being in our store and have a purchase in mind! — Cheryl K., Lincoln, NE
• We are making arrangements now for meeting vendors at the INSTORE Jewelry Show in Chicago. Love that there is time to spend seeing new products and attending the seminars. Especially love the atmosphere and seeing everyone. It’s the last show for me this season so it’s do or die! — Susan E., El Paso, TX
• I plan to work to the last moment before the holiday season kicks in. I have one more vacation scheduled for the first full week in November, and then I don’t plan to start any more projects until after Christmas. I plan to shift into complete sales mode and sell, sell, sell!!! — Amy H., Jacksonville, FL
• In 2008, I knew where we were headed and I didn’t buy until it passed. The numbers were obvious. I stopped buying based on the numbers. In 2025, I have no idea where we are headed. Should I order more for a great Christmas? Or should I wait or stop buying? Numbers were good until this month, but where will they go next month? Questions about hiring part-time for December? Order more gold? Colored stone tariffs are concerning. Etc. — Christine M., Boyertown, PA
• The amount of people that expect quality bench work for cheap prices with a quick turnaround when they didn’t even buy the jewelry from you is appalling. I would love to pull the plug on my repair business on pieces bought outside the store. It does nothing but bring headaches, and 95% of those people will never actually shop with you. — Marc M., Midland, TX

Share your thoughts with INSTORE. Email us at [email protected]